Author: Mark Weber

The latest in a series of local apartment projects was rejected on a preliminary 4-0 vote Tuesday, Aug. 16, by the Eden Prairie City Council. The council said a Ryan Companies plan for a five-story, 211-unit apartment project on seven acres along Valley View Road, near its intersection with Topview Road/Plaza Drive, had too many issues. It instructed staff to prepare findings for a formal rejection of the plan, likely to come in September. It’s the third apartment project reviewed by the City of Eden Prairie in nine months. The 425-unit Blue Stem North, near an under-construction light-rail-transit station in…

Eden Prairie plans to regulate “THC edibles” similar to how it regulates tobacco: require an annual city license and conduct compliance checks to ensure that local sales comply with state law and are made only to those age 21 and older. The restrictions are part of a new city ordinance expected to be approved Tuesday, Aug. 16, by the Eden Prairie City Council. The proposed regulations parallel the city’s tobacco licensing ordinance in that they prohibit edible THC products from being sold in vending machines, at kiosks, or other movable places of business; require that products be sold behind a…

An embedded social worker is changing the make-up of the Eden Prairie Police Department and how it responds to mental health calls. The program, a partnership between the City of Eden Prairie and Hennepin County, has put full-time senior social worker Molly Mitley on the staff of Eden Prairie Police, following up on many mental health and substance abuse emergencies in an effort to get people the help they need and reduce repeat calls to 911. The city and county share the costs of the trial program, and while Eden Prairie’s participation has only been seven months, there are some…

Eden Prairie’s largest social-services provider is among those shouldering higher food costs due to inflation. PROP purchases much of the food it provides to local families in need, and a variety of factors, including inflation, caused its food costs to be 45% over budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year that ended June 30, said Executive Director Jenifer Loon. Other factors responsible for the higher-than-expected food costs were fewer in-kind donations via food drives held by churches and by companies, many of which still have employees working at home in this COVID recovery period. In-kind food donations for the year were…

A Hennepin County District Court judge has ruled that a civil lawsuit seeking to block the development of homes near the historic Fredrick-Miller Spring can proceed to trial. The lawsuit against the City of Eden Prairie, filed by the Eden Prairie-based nonprofit called Spring Valley Friends, claims the proposed housing development called Noble Hill on land overlooking the spring and Riley Creek poses a threat to public waters and wildlife habitat. Judge Edward Wahl on July 13 ordered the trial to proceed. An Aug. 22 hearing in Fourth District Court has been scheduled. The 50-home development proposed by Pulte Homes…

They hailed it in 1970 as a “New Town” planned community, a $200 million development that would eventually put 15,000 additional residents in Eden Prairie amid a unique blend of housing, shopping, and natural areas. The Preserve neighborhood didn’t turn out exactly as planned. And yet, as the homeowners association that has paralleled it turns 50 years old this week, it’s clear that The Preserve of southeastern Eden Prairie is still unique in a lot of ways. At nearly 1,700 homes instead of the original vision of 4,400, it’s still among Eden Prairie’s biggest neighborhoods. Its mix of housing –…

The City of Eden Prairie is in the early stages of considering whether and how to regulate THC edibles and THC beverages, and plans to meet soon with other municipalities and the League of Minnesota Cities on the topic. “Most cities will likely get involved in the licensing aspect of it,” Eden Prairie Mayor Ron Case predicted Monday. “Beyond that, I don’t know.” “I think this is one of those instances where we would not want to be standing out differently than our neighbors,” he added. Indeed, he said a meeting with the League and a number of other cities…

Ryan Companies has proposed to build a five-story, 211-unit apartment building northwest of the intersection of Valley View and Topview roads, which is about a block east of Home Depot and across Valley View from the Holiday Stationstore. It’s the third apartment project reviewed by the City of Eden Prairie over the last seven months. The 425-unit Blue Stem North, near an under-construction light-rail-transit station in northeastern Eden Prairie, was approved by the city in March. A 239-unit project called The Ellie was approved for construction north of Smith Coffee & Café in December. The undeveloped property eyed by Ryan…

SouthWest Transit will hit the reset button on its search for a new chief executive officer after a recent search process failed to yield an accepted job offer. The SouthWest Transit Commission that oversees the Eden Prairie-based transit service decided last week to hit pause and is expected to hire another search firm, said Matt Fyten, the organization’s chief operating officer and interim CEO. To help with the ongoing transition, the commission will also consider extending the advisory role of outgoing CEO Len Simich when it meets June 23, added Fyten. Simich is retiring after leading the public transit agency…

Eden Prairie Parks Director Jay Lotthammer has been saddled with finding a home for the legendary Flying Red Horse, and, though it’s hard to believe, it is not the first “forever home” he’s had to find for a horse. It’s actually the third. When he was Brooklyn Park’s director of parks and recreation, a resident donated two live draft horses to the city, and Lotthammer arranged to have them board at that city’s living-history farm. There will be a lot less hay involved in situating the Flying Red Horse, the Mobil sign that for 70-plus years served as an Eden…